Coca-Cola Pauses Personalized Can Customization Tool Amid Phrasing Controversy
Coca-Cola's personalized can customization tool has been paused after an investigation revealed that it blocks certain phrases while allowing others to pass through. The platform, which allows customers to put custom text on bottles and cans, was found to block phrases like 'Jesus Is Lord' and 'Black Lives Matter,' but allow 'Pedophile Pride' and 'God Is Dead.' A spokesperson for the company described the issue as a technical problem that has been caused by the tool's automated word filter.
The investigation, conducted by Fox News Digital, found that the platform blocks phrases including 'Allah Is Lord,' 'Free Palestine,' and 'Make America Great,' but allows 'Stand With Israel,' 'Atheist Pride,' and 'Defund the Police.' The inconsistencies extend beyond a simple list of banned words, as customers can reportedly bypass the filters by adding spaces between letters or substituting numbers for letters.
Coca-Cola has said that it reviews every order after submission, but critics argue that this does not address the underlying issue. The company's spokesperson stated that the Share a Coke personalization tool helps fans create bottles and cans with special names or phrases, and that the company has safeguards in place against restricted terms.
This is not the first time Coca-Cola's automated moderation has landed the company in hot water. In 2024, social media users discovered that the customization tool blocked terms like 'Jesus' and 'Trump 2024,' while allowing 'Satan,' 'Allah,' and 'Harris Walz 2024.' The problems go back even further, with a summer 2021 promotion sparking widespread coverage over systemic moderation flaws.